On December 31, 1890 Ike and Josh Jones would get into a drunken fight near Woodbine, Texas. This would result in Ike stabbing his brother. Josh would not immediately die as he would live for 10 days and would die on Jan.9, 1891, in his father's home.
There is not much information in this case that I could find.
SOURCES:
The Gavelston Daily News Jan. 10, 1891
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jan 11, 1891
Wise County Messenger Jan 31, 1891
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Missing: Marion Alice Morton
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| 2010 photo of Marion's home she was believed to be last seen alive. |
On December 30, 1937, 52/52-year-old Marion Morton was reported missing from Georgetown, Delaware. THere's very little information in this case.
Her ex-husband was Bennet Carlton Morton. In the April 12 1930 Federal Census Marion was listed as the head of the house with her son Ralph (19 at the time) and school teacher Lewella Cain was a tenant in her home in Newark, New Jersey.
SOURCES:
NamUs
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Missing Child: Melvin Charles Horst
On the afternoon of December 27, 1928 4-year-old Melvin Horst was playing with four neighborhood friends. They were playing at a vacant lot off of Chestnut St. in Orville, Ohio. The area was near the railroad tracks. At some point, Melvin decided to walk home alone because he only lived a block away. He was carrying his small red truck a gift he got on Christmas.
At 4:30 Zora decided to call him home from dinner and sent her oldest out to search for him at his friend's homes. He was not found. He must have at least made it to his front yard as it was found his truck. They waited till his father Raymond got home and they searched the neighborhood at 6 p.m.
By 7 the police helped and they initiated the search at 8:30. The search was led by Roy who was Raymond's brother and village marshal. It was hoped that Melvin was mistaken as a child of a wealthy family and a ransom would come, but it never did.
Some theorize that his disappearance was to deal with Roy. The prohibition was going on at the time and Roy was zealous at getting bootleggers and enforcing liquor laws making several enemies. He was living with the family at the time and one of the bootleggers decided to get revenge. This included Elias Arnold and his children William, Arthur, and Dorthy McHenry and Dorthy's husband Bascom.
On Jan 2. 1929, the group was arrested for Melvin's disappearance. Elias had been in jail for the most part of 1928 and had a grudge against Roy. Later Charles "Junior" Hannah Elias 8-year-old nephew and a 9-year-old friend of Junior claimed to have seen Melvin go into the Arnold's house. Elias and Arthur were convicted and spent three months in jail when they realized the children had lied.
In 1930 Junior admitted that his father Charles Hannah and a neighbor Earl Conold had told him to lie. He said that they had killed Melvin and told the children to lie about seeing Melvin going to the Arnold's home. The men confessed, but it was coerced by Law Enforcement.
Some believe that it could be possible he was hit by a car and his body hid. That he was kidnapped and murdered. Or someone kidnapped him to raise as their own. None of these theories could be confirmed though.
Melvin was 4 years old at the time. He was 3'1" and 49 lbs. He had blue eyes and brown hair. He has a jagged burn scar on his hip. He was described as having an upturned nose and stocky build. He was wearing a checked sweater, a brown overcoat, and a stocking cap.
Saturday, December 26, 2020
The Gatton Tragedy: Murder of the Murphy Siblings
Norah Michael Ellen
On the night of December 26, 1898, around 8 p.m. 27-year-old Norah, 18-year-old Ellen, and 29-year-old Michael Murphy left their home at Black Fellow's Creek outside of Gatton, Australia in a two-wheeled cart. Michael was driving his sisters to a dance held at the Gatton Divisional Hall and hoped to arrive by 9.
The trio didn't know that the dance was to be canceled due to the lack of female attendance. They arrived and realized it had been canceled and headed back home. But they were to never return.
Their mother had gotten worried and knew something was off. She sent her son-in-law William McNeil into Gatton to see why the siblings didn't return. That morning he found them after following his Sulky's distinctive track marks (due to a wobbly wheel) on the road. He followed them and found their bodies in a horrifying sight. The police were soon contacted.
The scene was marked off, but townspeople hearing of the murders came to the scene. It was contaminated by onlookers. The bodies were brought to a local hotel for autopsy.
At the scene, Ellen and Michael were laying back to back while Norah lay a few yards away on a neatly spread rug. The girls had them hands tied behind their backs with handkerchiefs. Micheal had been both beaten and shot to death. He may have had his hands tied together at one point.The girls had been sexually assaulted and then they were beaten to death. Norah may have also been strangled. Nora had a hames strap tightly wrapped around her neck. Their horse had been shot and killed and 15 shillings were missing from Michaels purse. His purse was in his hand and a breeching strap nearby.
Some suspected maybe they were killed by family members or they had been killed by a local priest as someone heard a woman screaming "father" that night. But the police believed that it may have been a transient who was in the area who killed the three.
They had two main suspects one was man name Richard Burgess, but he had a solid alibi and the other was a man named Thomas Day. Thomas's hut was near the scene and someone claimed to see him wash the blood from a pullover days later. But there was no clear evidence of who the murderer or murders were. No one was charged with this case and will remain unsolved.
SOURCES:
WikipediaGatton Murders
Western Mail
Daily News
Huff Post
Friday, December 25, 2020
Murder of Hannah Brown
Hannah Brown lived in an apartment owned by Elizabeth Corney. She said that Hannah was a good tenant and lived there until December. Hannah told her landlord that she was going to get married on Christmas.
Hannah said her future husband wanted her to get pocket money from selling her things as where she was going they would have enough stuff. On December 24th a man came to her apartment and placed her trunks in a hackney-coach. She told Elizabeth that she wasn't going to hand over the keys yet because she had something still there and would be there Monday to pick it up.
She never told anyone who he was, Except for a friend, Hannah Davis, someone supposed to participate in the wedding. They had dinner that her home All they got was the name Greenacre from Hannah and him. He promised to bring her to America to his property in Hudson Bay.
James Greenacre came to the friend's home on Christmas. They were all ready for the wedding. He asked her if she had seen Hannah. They stated no. He told her the wedding was off as he didn't want to pull them both into poverty after finding out Hannah had no property. He refused to come into the house and thanked them for the dinner they were invited to on December 22nd.
He then told her brother's mistress the same thing. He said that Hannah lied about having money and made him go into debt. She tried to get him to talk to Hannah's brother, but he refused. He was in a hurry to leave.
Hannah never arrived that Monday. Instead, a boy came with the key and told Elizabeth that a man had given him the key to give to her. When she went in there was only a birdcage. The rent at the apartment was done weekly and was paid on Tuesdays.
On December 28, 1836, A man found Hannah's torso in a bag on Edgware Road in London, England. It was 20 yards from Pineapple Gate behind a flagstone, there was a cord that closed the mouth of the bag. Inside the bag were bloody rags and a torn child's frock.
On Jan. 6, 1837 Hannah's head was found in a canal near Stepney. Her face seemed to have been mangled. Her legs were then found in Camberwell. She was left unidentified for 10 weeks. Her brother and wife then went to go see the face of the murdered woman. Fearing it was Hannah.
The face was mangled, but they were able to recognize her. There also other things that pointed to her identification. There was a bite mark from a dog that had bitten her on the leg, and her ear had been torn at some point.
Investigators found that the to be husband was James Greenacre. He was in bed with another woman when the police came. He rented a room and the woman and a child rented the other room in the home. Hannah's things were found in the home. He initially denied that he knew her, but soon admitted he did. He told the Investigator that he was lucky he got him that night as he was leaving the next day.
He said he found that Hannah was trying to buy some silk nightgowns in his name. On Christmas-Eve she came to his home and seemed to be drinking with some coachmen. She asked for some Rum and tea and he obliged as they drank together.
He then brought up the silk gowns and that she misrepresented herself. She retaliated and told him they were declined and that he was lying about his worth. She was rocking her chair back and forth during this conversation and he put his foot against her chair. She fell backward.
Her head his a chunk of wood and he claimed it had killed her. He tried to shake her awake, but it failed. He then dismembered the body and pretended to look for her to tell her the wedding was off.
The autopsy showed that she was dismembered shortly after death. That the injury to the eye may have been first and then the blow to the back of the head. He told the woman he was living with that Hannah had left all of her things in the home. He gave the things to her and had no idea of the murder as she was out of the home at the time.
James Greenacre was found guilty of the crime.
SOURCES:
History By The Yard
The Champion and Weekly Herald
The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser
Hannah said her future husband wanted her to get pocket money from selling her things as where she was going they would have enough stuff. On December 24th a man came to her apartment and placed her trunks in a hackney-coach. She told Elizabeth that she wasn't going to hand over the keys yet because she had something still there and would be there Monday to pick it up.
She never told anyone who he was, Except for a friend, Hannah Davis, someone supposed to participate in the wedding. They had dinner that her home All they got was the name Greenacre from Hannah and him. He promised to bring her to America to his property in Hudson Bay.
James Greenacre came to the friend's home on Christmas. They were all ready for the wedding. He asked her if she had seen Hannah. They stated no. He told her the wedding was off as he didn't want to pull them both into poverty after finding out Hannah had no property. He refused to come into the house and thanked them for the dinner they were invited to on December 22nd.
He then told her brother's mistress the same thing. He said that Hannah lied about having money and made him go into debt. She tried to get him to talk to Hannah's brother, but he refused. He was in a hurry to leave.
Hannah never arrived that Monday. Instead, a boy came with the key and told Elizabeth that a man had given him the key to give to her. When she went in there was only a birdcage. The rent at the apartment was done weekly and was paid on Tuesdays.
On December 28, 1836, A man found Hannah's torso in a bag on Edgware Road in London, England. It was 20 yards from Pineapple Gate behind a flagstone, there was a cord that closed the mouth of the bag. Inside the bag were bloody rags and a torn child's frock.
On Jan. 6, 1837 Hannah's head was found in a canal near Stepney. Her face seemed to have been mangled. Her legs were then found in Camberwell. She was left unidentified for 10 weeks. Her brother and wife then went to go see the face of the murdered woman. Fearing it was Hannah.
The face was mangled, but they were able to recognize her. There also other things that pointed to her identification. There was a bite mark from a dog that had bitten her on the leg, and her ear had been torn at some point.
Investigators found that the to be husband was James Greenacre. He was in bed with another woman when the police came. He rented a room and the woman and a child rented the other room in the home. Hannah's things were found in the home. He initially denied that he knew her, but soon admitted he did. He told the Investigator that he was lucky he got him that night as he was leaving the next day.
He said he found that Hannah was trying to buy some silk nightgowns in his name. On Christmas-Eve she came to his home and seemed to be drinking with some coachmen. She asked for some Rum and tea and he obliged as they drank together.
He then brought up the silk gowns and that she misrepresented herself. She retaliated and told him they were declined and that he was lying about his worth. She was rocking her chair back and forth during this conversation and he put his foot against her chair. She fell backward.
Her head his a chunk of wood and he claimed it had killed her. He tried to shake her awake, but it failed. He then dismembered the body and pretended to look for her to tell her the wedding was off.
The autopsy showed that she was dismembered shortly after death. That the injury to the eye may have been first and then the blow to the back of the head. He told the woman he was living with that Hannah had left all of her things in the home. He gave the things to her and had no idea of the murder as she was out of the home at the time.
James Greenacre was found guilty of the crime.
SOURCES:
History By The Yard
The Champion and Weekly Herald
The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Murder Ballads: Murder of Delia Green
The murder of young African American Delia Young may have been the inspiration for the folk songs "Delia" and "Delia's Gone"
By Christmas Eve 1900 14-year-old Delia Green and14-year-old Cooney Houston (sometimes referred to Mose or Moses) had been dating for months by then. The two were at the home of Willie and Emma West on 113 Ann St. which was one block from Delia's home in Savannah, Georgia.
The West's were having a Christmas Eve party at their home. There were quite a few people who joined the party. At 3 A.M. on Christmas day Delia and Cooney were still at the party. It was said that Cooney was loaded. There are contradictions on whether he was the only one drunk or not at the party.
Witnesses claimed that Delia was mad at Cooney. He was teasing her, calling her his wife. He was joking around that they'd had a sexual relationship and wasn't talking to him at the party. Sometime during the argument, she called him a "Son of a Bitch." This angered the boy.
A shot was fired into Delia's groin area. She was dead and Cooney had the gun. He decided to run. Willie West then caught the 14-year-old and handed him over to patrolman J.T. Williams. J.T. Williams said that Cooney confessed to shooting her. That they had gotten in a fight and she called him a son of a bitch. This angered him and he shot her and said he would do it again.
At his trial, he wore shorts to make people realize he was young. He also backtracked on his confession and claimed that the gun had gone off accidentally. He said the Willie West asked the boy to retrieve his pistol from the gunshop. He still had the gun on him when he came back from a second errand of getting more alcohol. Willie Mills told the court that he witness Eddie Cohn and Conney fighting over a gurn and it accidentally went off.
Other witnesses called out the lies. They stated that Willie Mills wasn't at the party at the time. He had left earlier. Eddie had also left the party earlier and didn't even struggle with the boy over a pistol. No one believed this story.
He was found guilty, but because of his age, the judge gave him life in prison instead of the death penalty. He was then paroled by Governor John M. Slaton 12 years later 1913. His life is unknown, but he had died in New York City in 1927.
The ballads never state or ignore the fact that the two were in their early teens. The Delia's gone version (found above) makes it seem as if Cooney or the killer was intentionally seeking out to kill Delia that night. Which wasn't true it was a bad and childish decision. It's doesn't excuse Cooney's crime, but it wasn't intentional. But now you know the tragic background to this murder ballad.
SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Country Daily
Murder By Gaslight
Find a Grave
Haunted Savannah Tours
Saturday, December 19, 2020
MISSING: Ricky "Jeanie" Bryant
On December 19, 1949, 4-year-old Ricky Bryant who went by Jeanie was home with two of her siblings and grandparents in Mauston, Wisconsin. One of her siblings were at school at the time and her parents were out of the house as her grandparents watched. That was when a fire broke out in the home.
Her brother who was 5 at the time said that Jeanie was standing in the yard with him. During the fire, a woman drove up in an expensive car and she got out of the car. She distracted Jeanie's brother by telling him they needed to get help and pointed down the street. Leaving Jeanie alone. When her brother returned Jeanie was gone.
The grandmother contradicted and said that only two of the three siblings had gotten out of the house. That Jeanie had still been inside and when the Grandmother went in she couldn't find her. She called out to Jeanie and got no response.
Most authorities believe that Jeanie had died in the fire, but being that there was nobody and the bone fragments found couldn't conclusively be determined to Jeanies they've opened a case. Her siblings think it's possible that the fire was on purpose and that Jeanie was taken and hidden by family members, or that it was possible she may have had a different father and was sent to live with her biological father.
Jeanie was 4 at the time and is a white female. She was 3'4" and 40 lbs. He had blonde hair and hazel eyes.
SOURCES:
Missing Unidentified and Victims
NBC
NamUs
Charley Project
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